Tying the holster belt around her little brother Beckett's waist and placing extra magazines in place, Haley said, "You remember how to replace your magazine right?" Pointing to the release button Beck replied, "Yes, I press this, replace the magazine and cock the slide back to make sure there's a round in the chamber. We've practiced this a thousand times, Haley. It'll be fine."
Beckett had been on plenty of runs with her before, but this time they were going on a reconnaissance mission. Haley had been keeping an eye on a group of survivors near Annapolis that she was considering joining, though they weren't nearly as far south as she'd like to be. Haley and Beckett had been on the run since escaping their former home, The Shield, and its tyrannical ruler Cole. Haley thought back to their time there and how much work they'd put into rebuilding some semblance of civilization - the expansive, immaculate rows of crops, the well kept dormitories, the school system set up for the kids, and the towering walls that kept them all safe. Cole, their leader, however, had become increasingly more unstable and cruel, and Haley and Beck had barely escaped with their lives.
"We'll be okay. We'll find somewhere else to start over and rebuild. We're alive now, and that's what matters," she thought to herself.
Shaking her head as if to clear her head of those thoughts, she started gathering necessities in preparation for their run. Throwing water, ammo, and some granola bars into a backpack, they made their way down the long hall passing several double doors leading to theatres. Passing the arcade area, Beck hopped over the concession counter and grabbed a snickers bar and gummy bears. "Just in case we're out longer than expected," he said with a grin. Haley smiled back and waved him down the stairs. The raspy snarls of the undead could be heard before they even exited through the back doors of the movie theatre. The entire strip mall that contained the movie theatre was overrun with walkers, but Haley had found a way to maneuver around them. "And now for the gross part," she said while grabbing their filthy, old clothes hanging from the protective concrete bollards. Switching out of their clean clothes into their walker garb and rubbing fresh walker guts onto their clothes, Haley stuffed their clean clothes into their packs.
"This is seriously the grossest thing in the world," Beckett said scrunching his nose in disgust.
"I know, but keeping the walkers around deters unwanted humans from raiding this place. You ready?" Haley asked already unlatching the gate leading to the woods.
"Ready," he declared.
They zombie-walked their way out of the theatre parking lot and into the woods where they changed into their clean clothes. Haley threw her dark, chestnut locks up into a messy bun and re-laced her boots. Leaving their dirty wardrobe behind, they ventured deeper into the woods towards their destination.
Passing a clearing in the woods, Haley recognized it as the landmark signifying that they were close to the Annapolis camp.
"Know what this reminds me of?" Beck said.
"What?"
"Woodland Park, that wilderness park that had a kid's playground in the clearing."
"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that place," she responded.
"Too bad it closed down. It might've actually survived the end of the world," he remarked.
"What? It never closed," Haley protested.
"Yeah, I asked to go last summer, and Dad told me MAWP shut it down," he countered.
"MAWP?"
"Mothers Against Woodland Park," he stated matter of factly.
Erupting into laughter, Haley said, "That's not a real thing. Dad told you that so he didn't have to take you there."
"No, it is a real thing. MAWP shut them down bec-"
Beck was interrupted in his counter argument by the sound of two men arguing. Haley put her finger to her lips and unsheathed her knife.
Stepping into the clearing, a tall blond man sporting a sinister smile queried, "Well, what's a little lady like yourself doing walking around the forest with only this little Boy Scout for protection?"
The blond's partner made himself visible, a large, portly man armed with an impressive knife and a rifle. Haley knew despite being armed themselves that she and Beck were the underdogs in this fight and wracked her brain for an escape plan.
"We're just trying to survive, same as you," she replied stepping in front of her little brother in a defensive stance.
"Well, I'm Brandon, and this here is Ryan," the blond man replied.
Trying to stay calm, Haley stated, "Okay. We're just going to leave now." She put her hand behind her and stepped backwards, urging Beck to follow her lead.
"Hey now, don't be rude. We introduced ourselves. Now it's your turn. 'Sides, you got something I want, and you ain't going nowhere till I get it," Brandon taunted while taking a predatory step towards her.
It took everything in her not to run but the shiny revolver glinting off the sunlight warned her like a neon flashing "danger" sign.
"Come on man, just let them go," Ryan, the beefy partner said interrupting their silent standoff.
As Haley flicked her eyes to Ryan, Brandon lunged forward, grabbing her and discarding her knife. Twisting her around and locking her beneath his arm, he croaked, "I got you where I want you now."
Before Haley could even bring her knee up to his groin, a loud shot rang out piercing the silent forest sending birds flying and forest creatures scattering.
Before she could locate the source of the sound, Haley realized that Brandon's limp body was now leaning its weight on her. She pushed him off, noticing a whole in his forehead as he fell to the ground. Spinning around, she saw Beck standing there, gun raised. Ryan stood maybe thirty feet from them, utter shock apparent on his face.
"Don't move," she warned.
He nodded slowly.
"Beck, keep your gun aimed on him," she instructed as she made her way to Ryan to disarm him of his weapons.
After only a few short steps, she heard heavy footfalls and shouts making their way to the clearing, and before she could turn to run, several men appeared at the edge of the forest.
"What the fuck happened?" a dark haired, tall man demanded as he took in the scene.
"Simon," Ryan rasped out breathlessly, still reeling from the shock of the whole incident. "Brandon was trying to take them," he said pointing to Haley and Negan.
"We just want to leave. No one has to get hurt," Haley interjected before Ryan relayed his version of events.
"Hurt?" Simon scoffed in disbelief. "You just killed a man."
"Who intended to rape me," she responded angrily.
Nodding his head, Ryan confirmed, "It's true. The kid was defending her."
"Fuck," Simon frustratingly wiped his hand down his face while taking a moment to contemplate things. Nodding towards the sibling pair, he commanded, "Take them. Negan's orders that we round up the crew in this area. She's probably with the camp of people we just recruited."
"We're not with anyone. We're alone," she argued.
Ignoring her protests, he jerked his head to a few of his men who began to make their way towards them.
"Lower the weapon, kid. You're outmanned," Simon ordered.
Haley nodded knowing this battle was lost but that their lives weren't in immediate danger at the moment since they were being taken to "The Sanctuary," whatever that was.
Laying his weapons on the ground, Beck and Haley surrendered, but that didn't stop the men from restraining their wrists wth rope and roughly shoving them towards the forest's border.
"It's okay," Haley whispered to her brother, her blue eyes boring into his brown ones, desperately trying to convey a sense of calm and control despite feeling the exact opposite.
Haley and Beckett sat in the back of a moving van with several people from the Annapolis camp that Haley recognized from her time spent spying on them. No one spoke, probably due to the presence of the saviors, a band of renegade soldiers who were extremely proficient at killing walkers and capturing survivors as Haley had so recently learned. She had no idea what these saviors had planned for all of them, but how bad could a place called The Sanctuary be? "A sanctuary that houses rapists," she reminded herself thinking back to their encounter with Brandon.
The van slowed to a halt while she could hear muffled voices outside. The clanking of metal signified a gate opening, and the van lurched forward causing its occupants to sway unsteadily. Coming to a complete stop, the backdoor was thrown open plunging them into daylight. Haley caught the eye of a mousy haired girl and gave her a small smile, which the girl returned.
"Welcome to The Sanctuary," the mustachioed man called Simon announced. "This here is Tim, and he will explain the rules of The Sanctuary and tell you what's expected of you," he said motioning toward a short, stocky man wearing a Ramones t-shirt.
Filing out of the van, Tim removed everyone's restraints and instructed anyone with a backpack to leave them lined up along the edge of the building they were about to enter.
Beck looked to Haley for instructions and she nodded to leave their backpacks along with the others. Being free from the confines of the van, Haley was now able to take in all of the Sanctuary. The compound was huge and surrounded by a towering brick fence complete with manned guard posts. She couldn't see the gate they'd come through from where they were standing, but to the south were several massive buildings. Some looked like abandoned factories while others just seemed like empty warehouses. The building she was currently standing in front of was a large, seven story building, its steel gray exterior casting a foreboding presence against the sunny, Spring sky.
The group followed Tim into the industrial building as he led them on a tour of the place. Haley tuned him out as she took in her surroundings. The building was stuffy despite the open windows, and there was no electricity and no running water. The dining area was on the third floor; several long tables were arranged in eight rows accented with benches and a random assortment of plastic chairs. Residents bustled around carrying trays of small portions of randomly assorted food. Making their way to the next floor, Tim instructed them that the remaining four floors were dorms. Floors four and five housed residents. The sixth floor housed high ranking saviors, and the seventh floor was where Negan and a select few saviors lived.
"The seventh floor is forbidden unless given permission by Negan or one of his lieutenants," Tim instructed the group. They reached the end of the hallway on the fourth floor where they were shown their new living quarters. It was a spacious room with dozens of bunk beds stacked around the room.
"You're free to choose your own bunks. At this point, I'm going to have anyone with younger kids have them go with Carla to the river to bathe."
A pretty Hispanic woman gave a slight wave. A young boy around Beck's age stood next to her, and Haley beckoned him toward the woman.
As the younger ones made their way out of the room, Tim droned on about the point system, and the available jobs and areas of work at the Sanctuary. After informing them that someone would be by the next day to assign them jobs, he left them to their own devices. Haley claimed a bunk near the corner of the room with a window and sat down on the bottom bunk taking in her surroundings. Soon a man called Robert entered the dorm holding several backpacks and announced that they had been searched and relieved of weapons and medicine but all their other belongings were theirs to keep. Haley searched through the mosh pit of bags and grabbed hers and Beck's from the pile.
"Hi, I'm Annie," the mousy haired girl she recognized from the van introduced herself.
"Haley," she responded with a little half wave.
"Wonder what we're supposed to do now," Annie wondered aloud.
"I have no idea," Haley responded feeling just as lost.
"I think I'm going to go to the river to bathe too. I have some travel size shampoo and soap if you need it."
"Sure, thanks," Haley said feeling grateful.
This place was not nearly as luxurious as The Shield. No electricity, no running water, bare beds with no sheets or pillows, and very basic necessities. "But there are people here. Lots of people. And there's a fence to keep out the walkers. There's a community here. We're safe here for now," she reminded herself.
Negan climbed the final flight of stairs to his seventh floor apartment. He was exhausted; they'd been out on a supply run all day. He'd hoped Simon and his crew had had better luck than he'd had. No sooner than he'd thought the man's name did he enter the office area of Negan's apartment.
"How'd it go?" Negan asked while pulling off his boots.
"Not much in the way of food or medicine, but we did find a ton of ammo in a small camp outside of Annapolis. We took the whole camp with us; they're mostly all soldiers, a few with family members but not many."
Negan looked pleased with this information.
"Good, that's good," he said dragging a hand over his beard, deep in thought. "We really need fucking food, like yesterday," Negan said thinking out loud, the stress evident in his voice.
"I know," Simon responded hesitantly but paused like he had something else to say.
"What is it?" Negan demanded.
"We lost a man today," Simon relayed.
"Who?"
"Brandon."
"Fuck him. Creepy fucking guy anyway. Walker get him?" Negan queried.
"No, shot in the face by a kid believe it or not."
That revelation caught Negan's attention.
"No shit?"
"Yep," Simon confirmed. "Kid looked to be twelve or thirteen. He was defending the girl he was with, couldn't have been his mom. She looked like a college kid so more than likely not her kid. Brandon made a move to rape her, kid blew his dome off. Ryan confirmed their story."
"Damn, I gotta meet this little psychopath," Negan laughed.
"Tim is getting them acclimated now." Switching gears, Simon suggested, "I was thinking we could go out further tomorrow. There's a Costco about fifty miles from here. It's gotta be worth a shot, right?" Simon suggested.
"Yeah, were running out of options at this point," Negan confided in his right hand man. "I need to get cleaned up, and we'll regroup in the morning," he said.
"Sure thing, boss," Simon said as he made his way out of the room.
Negan stood at the river's edge and began undressing. He longed to crawl into his bed and finally relax after this trying day. He was beyond stressed with seemingly no solutions to his mounting problems. Being leader wasn't all it was cracked up to be. He had high hopes for building a grand community and being a trailblazer in creating the new world, but his group seemed to be in a constant state of struggle. He was having a hard time trying to feed his people, enemies -undead and alive- alike posed threats at every turn, and supplies in general were getting harder to come by. He knew they needed to start producing and stop scavenging, but there were few here capable of even starting such a colossal project.
A splash in the far distance broke him out of his reverie. A woman surfaced from the water stepping onto higher ground but still knee length deep in the water. Her silhouette was framed by the setting sun. She rang her hair out and twisted it up into a bun, and then ran her hands down her body in an attempt to rid herself of excess water, but Negan found it so sensual that he stood transfixed to the spot. As nightfall rapidly fell, he admired the curve of her ass and the swell of her breast in the dim light as she quickly dressed under a tree.
"Wow," he thought to himself, "who the fuck is that?"
He would discover the identity of the mystery woman soon enough, and he'd soon learn that she held solutions to many of the problems currently plaguing him.